More than 500 fishing vessels risk being banned from fishing operations in Kisumu's side of the Lake Victoria over their poor conditions.
The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) had given owners of the vessels until June 1, 2019, to comply with the maritime regulations or be barred from operating.
The authority's Director General Geoffrey Okong'o said the lapse of the window will be succeeded by a crackdown to identify vessels that are not seaworthy.
Okong'o noted that the crackdown, which targets vessels at the Winam Gulf, will also affect ferries, and will be expanded into checking the competence of vessel operators and licensing.
“We will inspect if the vessels have required marine equipment, whether the operators are trained to run marine vessels and certified by KMA. We want to ensure all ferries and boats meet and adhere to marine safety standards as per the Maritime and Shipping Act," he said as quoted by Business Daily.
Okong'o said that the move is aimed at tackling the rising cases of water accidents in the area, which have been pegged on the mentioned reasons.
He said that the authority has confirmed 210 accidents in ten years, 40 percent being cases of vessels drowning while 50 percent of them capsized, leaving 242 people dead while 330 have been salvaged from drowning.
"Benefits that come with this campaign are more. Safety and security of a vessel is paramount. By people boarding vessels that are certified and with qualified crew, it increases the guarantee of them arriving at the destinations safely," he added.